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Lovebound

Chapter 13 – Guided by the stars, connected by the force

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Chapter summary: After their visit to the festival, a lot of things are about to happen for both Din and Arana, who has decided to leave ‘Maia’ in the past. While accepting her heritage is only the first step, the brunette is about to learn more about Mandalorians and even more about being with one.

Warnings: 18+ MDNI! a little morning wood never hurt nobody; Peli is absolutely unhinged in the beginning; horny idiots; consumption of alcohol; virginity loss; yes, there is smut; Din is the king of consent; dick pronouns;

Words: 16.3k (I’m sorry)

A/N: Yeah well… it was bound to happen. They’re in love and Din absolutely wants his cyar’ika to feel said love. Lot's of Mando'a in this, translations are explained by the characters. Maia will be referred to by Arana from now on.

The night had been short and yet there was nothing for Arana to complain about. Her head felt a little heavy when it lifted off of Din’s chest to see the light of day shining through underneath the door. Lying on his body, feeling his heart beat and his steady breathing felt incredible, so intimate in this tiny storage room. Din seemed to also slowly wake up, groaning underneath her and trying to move, but seemingly realizing he had another human lying on top of him. They both ignored the commotion outside of the storage room for now, focused on the other hidden in the darkness of the tiny, windowless room. »Are you awake?« he asked into the darkness.

»Good morning, I –« she was about to answer when there was a shuffle and then loud bangs as Peli hammered against the metal door that separated the two from the mechanic. »Wake up! Got you two some food. Put some clothes on before you come out, for the love of everything. I’ve seen way too much bare skin yesterday.« The brunette flinched on top of Din from the noise, he himself groaned a little louder. Neither wanted details, although Arana halfway expected Peli to make another comment. The brunette started lifting herself off of his body when she realized something was pressing into her abdomen when her weight shifted. For just a moment she froze, a little overwhelmed with the realization that her partner must’ve been a little too excited about her being on top of him. She quickly dismounted afterwards and she thanked the Force for the darkness in the little chamber that hid her blushed cheeks in this moment.

With one hand she felt for her clothes, only to realize in this moment she had left them in the bathroom and there was only her dress in here. »Shit… my clothes.« There was another flinch when she heard Din’s ‘I just woke up’ raspy voice when his head turned to her, asking »do you need help with your dress?« As if the sensation of his hard-on hadn’t been enough to make her want to whimper, his voice was making it very hard to keep her composure. »Can I have your cape?« She didn’t want to squeeze into the dress for just a few steps. There was a moment of silence. Was he thinking what she would look like wrapped in just his cape? »Sure.«

»Hello-o? Are you alive in there? Don’t make me come in!« »We are, relax,« Din growled towards the door where Peli was apparently waiting for some kind of response. »Maia will be out in a minute.« Oh yeah, the mechanic was blissfully unaware of what had happened yesterday, including the name change. Peli probably had something wildly different in mind when it came to what the two lovebirds had done. A random woman’s name would have made her assume they had a third one in here, or something similar. Din’s body might have appreciated a different approach for last night, to be fair. It was for the best if they wouldn’t talk about this… ever. »I’ll need another minute in here,« Din let her know. Arana had a suspicion why, his not so little issue. She took his cape and got up to wrap it around her, tucking one of the corners in so it would stay in place.

With Din still sitting, one leg angled, she leaned down to give him a kiss. »I love you… and I’m sorry.« »No need to apologize.« Did he know why? »I’ll distract her,« she promised him and got back up to her feet. She felt a little bad for putting him into this situation, but then again, she didn’t expect to be confronted with an erection so soon. After Din had put on his helmet, she took a deep breath and opened the door, practically dancing out of the storage room. The door shut behind her fairly quickly. »Good morning, Peli,« she greeted the mechanic with an overly joyous tone in her voice. »Someone’s in a very good mood today,« the mechanic commented, a steaming mug of caf in her hand. »Why wouldn’t I be? Yesterday was so much fun, and I saw fireworks for the first time ever, we enjoyed some food, good music…« she slowly walked over to the bathroom, making sure the mechanic’s eyes stayed with her.

The door to the bathroom stayed open so the women could continue talking. Peli would respect her enough to not come looking. »I clearly choose the wrong men to be with…« »Maybe you do,« Arana replied, putting on her underwear and pants. »The necklace looks good,« came from the kitchen. »Thanks, the pendant is made of Beskar.« »I saw the symbol before… it’s on Mando’s armor, right?« Just for a second the brunette’s head popped through the door way, grinning ear to ear. The mechanic mimicked the expression before Arana returned into the bath to put the rest of her robes on. The rustling was audible in the hallway and probably also the kitchen. »The stars really aligned for us to be here around a holiday. The fireworks were beautiful.« »You saw them? Thought I had seen you and Mando leave the market fairly early.«

Of course the older woman assumed the two had retreated to the hangar for other activities and Arana’s behavior just enforced that thought. That became painfully obvious when the mechanic rummaged through her cabinets, asking »so how does that work with you and Mando… Business up top, party below or–« »Peli!« »Come on! Let a woman be curious. It’s not like he would tell me anything about his love life.«

»Morning,« Din announced, somehow managing to sneak up on Motto who subsequently screamed. »Holy Batha-shit,« she cursed, clutching her heart. »Didn’t expect you to just stand there. I thought Maia had knocked you out for the day.« Din wanted to explain »I just need longer to–« »Put your clothes on, I get it. Was quicker to take them off yesterday, huh?« Peli finished, making Arana bite her lip while she was still hidden behind a wall. With all fabric now in place, she could reunite with the other two. »So,« the mechanic reiterated, »did the helmet stay on or not? I can’t see how that’s romantic. Not that I would judge you if you’re into that, or if Maia is.«

»Actually–« Arana pranced down the hallway towards the kitchen, putting emphasis on every step. »It’s not so much about the helmet staying on than it is about the face not being seen. You probably know an embarrassing amount of solutions for that problem.« Peli gave her a look and Din’s helmet seemed to turn to her in slow-motion. To be frank, he was a little surprised and confused why she would insinuate they had been intimate. And did so with a straight face while he was cooking under his helmet.

»Huh, so you’re not as prudish as I thought. But how can you make sure that he’s appealing? Don’t tell me love is blind or some pudu like that. I’ve been with some men I would have thanked for wearing a helmet, or at least a paper bag. Absolutely hideous, it was almost unbearable. No offense, Mando.« Arana stifled a chuckle while Din’s posture seemed to indicate a toneless sigh. No, he was absolutely gorgeous underneath the armor and fabric. Warm, comfortable, and hard where it mattered. What? »I just know. Let’s focus on something else. I – Maia isn’t a thing any more. To cut a long story short, I recently found out my parents were Mandalorians which kind of makes me one too; my name is Arana.«

»Wait, Arana?« Peli pulled a face of confusion. »Not sure I like that name, Maia sounds better. Besides, if you’re a Mandalorian, shouldn’t you be in armor?« Arana shook her head no. »It’s not that easy. I don’t just get one.« She exchanged a look with Din. »The only Mandalorians we know won’t allow me to have one, because I never learned to live by their Creed.. I’m not sure I would find it comfortable, either.«

The mechanic hummed. »I still like Maia more, but that’s not important. I got y’all some breakfast, extra protein to replenish after yesterday.« Din scoffed underneath the helmet, this time audibly for the two women. »Seriously?« he grumbled while Arana pressed her lips together, watching as he took his bowl. »I’d love to see your face right now, Mando,« Peli teased. »We’re training after breakfast,« Din let his partner know and retreated back into the room they had stayed in, far enough away for him to take the helmet off without his face being seen. The women sat by the dining table and Arana took a closer look at what Peli had brought them. It smelled sweet and admittedly tasty, but the texture was hard to describe. An amorphous, beige mass.

»You’ll have to explain to me again. You’re a Mandalorian. Okay, got it. New name, also got that, even if I think the other one fits better. Shouldn’t there be someone looking for you? I may not know much about Mandalorians but they don’t have children to just toss out into the galaxy. They’re not Jedi.« Ouch. Arana stuck her spoon into the mass before her and took the first bite, delighted to find the sweet taste relatively subtle. It felt rich and like it would fill her up nicely. She began explaining. »Judging by what Mando told me, children are invaluable to Mandalorians. I think I have to explain a little more about what happened to me. I was taken from my family by Imperials. I assume they both died and nobody that would have known me remained. So no one came looking when I broke out.« »I’m sorry, Sweetheart. You didn’t deserve that. Damn Imperials.« After a deep breath and a glance over to where Din was hidden behind the wall, Arana mumbled »what child deserves to be taken from their family.« Was her partner listening? She went for another bite while Peli mused on.

»You caught a Mandalorian regardless of whether your family might have lost you.« Arana shook her head and chuckled, a little too amused with the wording and the memory of their playful banter up on Peli’s roof yesterday. »Caught. Like it was my sole doing that led to us being together now.« »You’ve not seen how he was before he showed up here with you. Let me tell you: The difference is night and day.« Although it was exhausting to speak with her at times, Peli’s blunt but honest approach to conversation somehow made it easier for Arana to talk about the difficult things. Like her family. The mechanic continued. »You could get married and they would accept you, right? Even if it would be cruel to hide such a pretty face underneath a helmet.« »I know the helmet thing is strange at first but I got used to talking to one relatively quickly. Makes Mando a little harder to read but I’m getting the hang of it. Not sure how it would change if I had one on, too.«

The woman opposite of her took a sip of her drink, her non-existent eyebrows moving a little down. »I can’t picture you at a wedding with the helmets on, to be honest – but I’m not trying to be ignorant. It’s your choice. Can’t deny that you're good for him.« The reassurance felt nice, to have confirmation that the brunette had a positive impact on him instead of being a burden. Not that Din had made her feel as such, sometimes she just doubted herself. »No offense taken. All of that has time anyway. In the meantime I enjoy being around him, he makes me feel safe. Loving him sure helps.« It was a little reminder to herself in a way, and she wanted to say it out loud in front of someone. Would she even want to marry him to be part of the Watch? And more importantly, did Din even think about marrying at all?

Peli would agree. »Yeah, it has time. And if you ever have children I’m very willing to babysit them. Not for free of course, I can’t afford that, but for a good discount.« Arana took a deep breath, albeit silently. She didn’t know. She shouldn’t know. »Be careful what you offer, we might get back to that in the future. You’re just interested in setting up a little petting zoo, aren’t you?« Banter was a welcome distraction from the short pain she felt in her chest. Peli took the bait, laughing. »Come on, can you blame me? If you show up with cute, cuddly little guys I’d be stupid to not make one. We could even share profits. Didn’t get to say goodbye to the little guy.« Another ouch, especially if Din could hear them. She could have told the mechanic that she might get to see him again one day, but in the prospect of her partner evesdropping she bit her tongue. She didn’t want to put Din’s hopes up so soon. If it was up to his decision they’d be on the way to get the little one back from Luke right now.

Breakfast was finished and Arana looked over to the ajar door. »Cyare, are you ready?« There was a rustle and a groan and Din emerged from the room, helmet on and the empty bowl in his hand. »Yes, let’s go.« The brunette rose from her seat as well, giving her partner a once-over. If he had listened in on the conversation, he was keeping any thoughts to himself. His posture seemed normal, a little tense but that could still be from when Peli had teased him. Arana couldn’t ask him with the mechanic around.

»We need to find a suitable spot for the training,« Din let her know. He was right, they couldn’t just start swinging sabers without making sure they couldn’t cause any collateral. »We should probably leave the city, where it’s quiet enough to focus,« was Arana’s only wish. She would need a little quiet if she had to teach Din about sabers. No teasing came from Peli this time around, not even a comment about the two leaving for some privacy again. Arana vividly remembered what the mechanic had said on their first trip out of the city, where she and Din were barely more than strangers. I can tell why Mando wants to take you with him. She understood the implications back then, but now knowing that Mando had watched her at the time, it made sense. And now, why would she mind if he gave her longing looks?

Down by the hangar, she opened her ship and jumped up to the cockpit, letting her legs hang down the hull while her torso was inside, looking for her sabers and belt. The suns were up high already and she would need her cloak to not get sunburnt when they would be out there. She left her gloves in the ship, deeming them not necessary for the time being. Her partner was just leaned against the hangar wall, as nonchalant as he always was, and still – it felt like his eyes had been on her for a moment. »I could teach you some Mando’a,« he offered while she still hung in her ship, looking for her second saber. »Does that mean you’ll finally tell me what idiot is in Mando’a?« »I might keep that one to myself.«

With another jump she was out of her ARC, walked over to him, attaching the belt and her sabers. The ship closed and she put on the cloak. »Enjoyed the view, Mando?« she teased him with a grin. The helmet leaned sideways. »I won’t tell you that either, Arana.« The way he practically purred her name made her absolutely weak, knees feeling a little wobbly just from the soft vibrato in his voice. Considering how his voice had sounded not long ago, even more gravelly, it was a miracle that she wasn’t in a puddle right now. »Let’s go,« Din nodded towards the exit and off they went, walking through the streets and out the city.

»How did you sleep?« Casual conversation while they walked around seemed to be their go-to at this point. »I can’t complain, I slept on quite the comfortable underground.« Arana had to stop herself before she made it awkward for the both of them, don’t mention what you felt, don’t mention what you felt she reminded herself. »Your back must hate me though, sorry about that.« »Don’t worry about that. It does hurt, but I’ll be okay when I get to move a little.« The streets were still empty, most of the people in Mos Eisley probably still asleep after the night had been going on for longer than usual. Din quieted down as soon as a stranger crossed their path, however. There was no need for her to press on more conversation, perfectly contented to walk with him in silence.

Outside the city, after they had taken a short walk, Din halted, took a look around, and nodded approvingly. »I think we’re good here,« he announced. Taking the Darksaber from his belt, Arana took position opposite of him, a few steps away from him. She unhooked one of her sabers, deeming one enough for the time being. If Din showed improvement quickly, she could always add the second one. The lavender colored blade almost seemed white in contrast to the oceans of beige sand around them. Her blade gave off a low hum, a noise she was used to, but it sounded so different when it had nowhere to bounce off from, virtually no echo. »I need you to be open-minded, otherwise I can’t help you learning to handle a saber. It sounds weird, I know, but saber crystals have a mind of their own. Be certain of what you want to accomplish. Don’t doubt yourself. The Darksaber is old, it might be harder to handle, I don’t know.«

Her saber raised into a blocking position, she nodded towards her partner. »Hit it.« Din activated the blade and it was obvious the weapon was heavy, even the sound was different from her sabers. While his first strike seemed easy enough, she saw him struggle with the second. No noise of strain or effort came from him yet, but his posture tensed, his biceps and shoulders flexing underneath the fabric. Din’s movements were slower, more laborious, when he struck her blade once more. On top of the visible signs he was doing something wrong, fighting the blade, it was like she could feel his doubts, the internal conflict and his frustration. It surrounded him like a cloud, a grey aura of negative thoughts.

»You won it in combat. It’s yours,« the brunette reminded him, moving slowly to attack him but leaving enough time for him to block. To be honest, moving so slowly and pronounced was a little more exhausting. She didn’t want to hit the armor just in case the blade slipped and hurt him for real, she aimed straight for the blade and nothing else. Blocking was easier for him, not too much movement involved, but she saw how he was straining, sinking into the sand with his boots like it actually weighed more and more. What started off as a cloud around him, frustration and self doubt, had turned into a thick fog within minutes. »You’re resisting the blade.« Did it help she was telling him when it was obvious that it was all that consumed him right now? Finally, Din just sighed in defeat, deactivated and let the Darksaber fall into the sand. Arana deactivated her blade as well, giving him a confused look. Had she been too harsh with him? Had she insulted him? With the memory of their fight back on Glavis she knew she had to be a bit more tactful this time around, and not let his frustration jump over to her as well. With a sigh herself, she walked over and picked up the significantly bigger and heavier hilt, offering her blade to her partner in return. »We should maybe start a little easier. Modern technology and a little less stubborn, I would assume. No history attached to it but my short life, similarly lethal as the other one.«

»Let’s go,« Din groaned a little, the frustration still around him in the air. Was there anything she could do to help him? He was hard to read right now and she knew his pride was easily hurt if she chose her words a little unfortunately. She activated the blade, feeling the weight instantly. Being force-sensitive however meant it wasn’t as severe for her to feel the significance of the blade. Waving the blade around a bit, she got a feel for the handling, registering Din’s frustration growing a little more. As much as she didn’t want this to happen, they had to do it this way. »In the covert, someone tried to take the blade from me. To be the rightful owner, to win it in combat. Thankfully Mandalorians seem to be useless with a lightsaber. Otherwise he would’ve decapitated me.« Din explained. Hearing that should have stunned her more than it did, the prospect of her partner being killed, but then again, Arana was removing herself emotionally from this as best as she could to be a better teacher for him. The aura of the saber was definitely stronger than her own crystals, but it felt manageable. Was it because she saw the necessity in being able to handle it? Was it because she was a Jedi? Or had Din technically surrendered the blade to her and it was now listening to a more willing master? Din tried to at least lift his spirits a little, or he was starting to feel that Arana was sensing him in the force. Could he feel her presence? »Lucky for me he wasn’t able to, unlucky for the Mandalorians as a whole because now the saber is in the hands of an apostate.«

»Sooner or later someone will come to claim it again. All I care about is for you to be safe and not get hurt when you use it again. It’s inescapable. Also – I don’t want you to hurt me either.« The sight and smell of his burnt thigh was still so fresh in her memory and she would be grateful if it never came to another serious injury like this. The way he talked about himself explained why the blade taunted him. Din was a remarkable man but he talked himself down so much right now. Arana carefully approached him, swinging against the other blade. His armor would avoid the worst but she didn’t want to hurt him. She wanted him to get a feel for a saber. That was it. Would she mind if he lost the blade again? Not really if he managed to lose in combat and not die. Din was more important than some weapon and definitely more important than some title he didn’t seem to want, anyway. They focused on fighting, Din slowly getting a feel for the saber. Taking turns, Din took a few swings at her and in turn blocked when she swung at him. The clash of sabers picked up in frequency and they had a well-working rhythm. Arana was proud of how well Din carried himself with a completely new weapon. Most of this was due to his resilience, she was certain, but she’d like to think that her encouragement had at least a tiny bit of influence.

After some time, the suns had passed their zenith already, they stopped and deactivated their blades, Din surrendering Arana’s blade to her, a few words of admiration on his lips. »You’re so focused while fighting. I’m far from it.« »Switching my mind off has always been a safety measure for me, it helped closing myself off from some – bad things. I don’t doubt it’s hard for you.« A heavy sigh came from underneath the helmet, his shoulders dropping. »I’m not sure if it’s worth it, or if I am. You’re making such an effort and I don’t feel deserving, not worthy. The Darksaber would be better in the hands of a Jedi master.« Arana couldn’t deny the saber felt good in her hands, but she had sabers of her own and they meant more to her. Besides, she was definitely not interested in command over the Mandalorians. Not that they would accept her anyway. »You’re too hard on yourself, cyare. Comparing yourself to someone who has been handling sabers for years. What Jedi would be interested in a saber that also grants you command over a civilization of warriors that despise them? The sword has been carried by Mandalorians for hundreds of years, it has a long history and matters to Mandos. It belongs into the hands of one.« Arana hooked the Darksaber into Din’s belt and looked into that dark visor.

»It matters to some Mandalorians. I haven’t even heard of it when I was still on Concordia. No one ever taught us.« She gave him an apologetic smile. It was, in a way, reassuring that Din wasn’t too ardent on the title of the ruler of Mandalore either. »To some, then.« Still there was this aura of frustration surrounding him. She placed both hands on his helmet, caressing the metal as if it was his face. »Regardless of that, you might not see it because you’re frustrated, but you did so well today. Masters aren’t born, they are made.« She didn’t care much if Din didn’t want the throne. It was his choice, at the end of the day, and all she wanted was for him to be safe. Safe with her, preferably. She didn’t need to be with a king, nor did she need to live in a mansion or anything. As long as she could be with him, she would be happy.

Let it go. That was, in a way, a mantra for a Jedi. Arana had to tell herself so often to let go, to let Din leave her behind, to overcome the death of her adoptive father, to live with not knowing who she was, where she belonged. Din had to let go of all the doubt to be able to master the Darksaber. And she had to let go of the fear of losing him. Whether it would be in combat or of old age, Din would leave her one day, or she would leave him. And, more importantly, she had to let go of her own feelings when Din was frustrated just as he was right now. She didn’t want to repeat their falling out on Glavis. »I think we trained enough for today, what do you think?« The brunette’s head tilted to the side, her hands still on the helmet. »I don’t know. Sorry. I wish it was easier for me, because right now it frustrates me too much. I know learning a skill takes time, I just–« he sighed, letting the helmet fall a bit forward, not making it far because her hands held his head in place. »Di’kut. That’s what you can call me when I’m being an idiot again.« Arana rotated the helmet, assuming he would look at her if she did. A warm smile on her lips, she repeated what he had just told her. »Di’kut. Maybe I won’t have to use it too often. I know this must be a lot for you. Maybe even too much to handle at once. I don’t know how to help you through this, I want to, though. You’ll have to tell me, because I don’t want to look into that pretty head of yours to find answers.«

»I had to learn quickly when I was a child and I just force myself too much, I can’t learn that fast any more. I’ll work on my attitude, I don’t want to drive you away. And please don’t look around in there, it’s not pretty.« »I don’t like my own mind at times. But don’t worry, it’s hard to drive me away.« She took a step forward and leaned her forehead against the helmet. Din couldn’t help himself and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a hug. »I didn’t think I could ever be so emotional. I used to just turn around and keep going without looking back.« Arana took the opportunity and snuggled against his armor, her arms wrapping around his neck. »Having emotions hurts at times, I know. But both Grogu and I owe our lives to your feelings. You might not have saved me out of love, but there was something that inclined you to do it regardless. And I know you suffer because Grogu isn’t here. He is your first foundling, isn’t he?«

She was not saying ‘was’ to not make it even worse for him. »I never said having emotions is bad. Just that I’ve been closed off for such a long time. And then Grogu came along and turned my whole life upside down. And he is – was – I saw myself in him. A child that needed to be protected. He is my family just as you are and it feels wrong to give him away,« Din explained. Slowly she let go of him, Din also letting go of her body. Her hand reached for her neck, feeling for the pendant underneath the black fabric. Being considered someone’s family felt odd. She had lost every family she had. Her biological parents, Raymond – who she had considered a father figure for years – how could she doom Din to the same fate by calling him family? She had to say something, and if she couldn’t reciprocate his feelings in that way, she had to acknowledge that at least, someone saw Din as family already. »He considers you his father… Or a father figure.« Just like she had chosen Raymond back when she was in the facility, Grogu saw a protector and role model. »Luke might not let you see him, as the emotional distance is crucial for his training. While I don’t regret leaving him, I was at a completely different stage of maturity and in my training.«

Din tensed and she felt a little sting in her heart. She hurt him, she knew it. Resorting to honesty was her way of preparing him, so he wouldn’t be too disappointed if they made it all the way there to not see the little one. A necessary evil, so to say. Would Din know she was doing this out of love and not malice? »I know you want to see him and we can still fly there. Your expectation shouldn’t be that he sees you and chooses to come back with us, that is all I want to say. My words hurt, don’t think I do this because I want to hurt you. I just don’t know how to be more tactful about it.« »I just want him to have the gift. That is all.« That statement came so bluntly and Arana definitely had proof that she had hurt him, Din resorting to being short with her. »Will you be okay if he rejects it?« »I won’t force him. If that’s his choice I will respect it.«

Arana took a deep breath, grounding herself as to not make the frustration take hold of her. This was her fault for being honest and he had every right to be hurt by it. There was no need and no reason to snap at him, he wasn’t snappy with her, either. »There’s still a lot of time left until tomorrow, we should find something to do. Unless you want to leave right away, but we might need a longer break in between. I don’t think I need another evening at the festival.« Seemingly feeling her guilt, Din gently touched her arm, searching for physical contact to signal he was okay. He shook the helmet gently to convey a no. »We’re flying tomorrow. We can ask Peli if she needs help in the workshop. Or we sit down in her apartment and I teach you more Mando’a.« Looking down her arm, she found him caressing over her sleeve with his thumb. The bounty hunter had changed so much in the little time they had spent together, so affectionate even when they were out in the open. »Oh Peli for sure has something for us to do. In the best case we take all of the scrap that lies around and organize it into two piles. Actual trash and useful trash… or we suffer through more questions about our relationship.« »After what you made her believe, no wonder.« Oh yeah, she had kind of insinuated that she and Mando had been intimate…

»Let’s go back and I teach you some more Mando’a on the way,« he distracted her from her memories of that one dream she had and also the sensation of his hard-on snuggled against her. Otherwise she would have gotten a little light-headed. »Let’s see how much I remember when I hear it. ‘Cyare’ just came to me when you called me cyar’ika.« They started walking back towards the city.

»You know what it means, then?« Not quite, but she knew it was something to call a partner or a family member. She had heard her mother say it to her father in that memory of hers. Was it maybe the male version of cyar’ika? »It’s some word for loved one? Like… my beloved? But I don’t really understand the ‘ika.’« Arana felt inclined to grab hold of his hand, but then again, back in the city there were people and she knew how Din was when they were being watched. »It’s a suffix… to make the word smaller. Or used as further endearment. In Basic there’s no real way to imitate it. ‘Cyare’ is beloved or love, but ‘cyar’ika’ is closer to darling or favorite.« Din hummed a little, trying to find a better way to explain it. »‘Ika’ is when you would call a kitten a kitty to make it sound smaller.« She nodded, that was a good way to demonstrate it. »And what’s mesh’la? I assume it’s something nice because you wouldn’t insult me.« »I would never insult you. It means beautiful. ’La’ indicates an adjective.« It warmed her heart to finally know what he had said to her so often. Din had called her mesh’la so early in their relationship, before it even was one, before they had made it official. »Your name comes from ‘aran’, I assume. It means guard… or guardian. Similar to Basic most words are neutral in Mando’a. ‘Buir’ would be a parent, either mother or father.« That made more sense. Back when they visited Gor Koresh, Din had explained that women were equal to a man in Mandalorian culture. Made sense why there was no distinction in their language between male and female. »So buir’ika would be ‘daddy’?« He chuckled a little. »Yes, or mommy,« he concluded.

She smiled at him, pondering whether to make a joke or not. But then again, she didn’t know if the connotations were the same in Mando’a as they were in Basic, despite the soft laughter he had just expelled. Just like she wondered if she could ironically call him di’kut. »So, if I wanted to make your name cuter, would I say Din’ika? Di’ka?« Din’s chuckle returned, only to become a little louder this time around. The blush forming on her cheeks was inevitable, fearing the worst. »What did I say?« It took a moment for Din to regain his composure. »Dinii means lunatic.« »Oh, damn, sorry about that. I’ll stick to di’kut then. It’s not insulting to call you that, right?« Awkward.

»It’s not, don’t worry. ‘I’ll hold you in my heart forever.’ That’s what I told you yesterday. It’s our way to say ‘I love you’.« Arana stumbled over her own feet, startled by the sudden confession. Din jerked her way to catch her, but she managed to regain her balance on her own. »Stars, you can’t just drop that so nonchalantly. You sure have your hearts on your tongues for a bunch of warriors.« She took a deep breath and tried to calm her pulse that had just picked up. Was he aware what he was doing to her? »At least that explains why you say certain things in Mando’a rather than telling me in Basic. I won’t stumble and make an idiot of myself if I don’t know what you’re telling me.«

»It just felt right in that moment. I wanted you to know what I said, because the Basic translation doesn’t convey the same sentiment.«

»It’s alright. It’s just – an intensity I wouldn’t expect from a stone cold bounty hunter, you know?«

»I’m a human underneath the armor too.« She bit her lip, grinning a little when she saw the helmet turn towards her in her peripheral. »I know you are. Forever sounds like a long time.« A long time to love someone and also a long time to miss someone. »Do you believe in some kind of afterlife?« There was a clear shake of the helmet. »You’ll be in my heart till it stops. If anything comes afterwards, I wouldn’t know.«

Unwillingly her thoughts took a darker turn, suddenly remembering the nightmares that had plagued her just recently. Seeing him die, again, and her heart ached for the inevitable, the moment it would become reality. »No one’s heart is stopping. Forget it.« She felt her throat tighten, pure stubbornness taking over for a moment. The discussion about the afterlife reminded her of something she and Luke had talked about. »I’ve been told that some Jedi stay in this life even after their death, for a while at least. Something about a noble death or inner peace when it happens that grants them to stay a little while, conscious and somewhat materialized.« The sigh she let out almost made a sob escape. »I can’t imagine how it would feel to miss you for eternity.« His helmet faced her and he took hold of her hand, stopping and making her halt as well. She felt her eyes water when she looked at him. No way she would accept him passing on anytime soon.

»Let’s focus on now, when we’re together, cyar’ika.« He gently squeezed her hand, which she reciprocated with a sigh. »I’m sorry, you’re right.« Especially with the prospect of maybe having the apartment to themselves for a while later, Arana was fine to ditch the festival today. Her mind was occupied with memories of how Din had kissed her yesterday and she wanted to repeat it. Maybe take things further? The thought had manifested when she had felt how his body reacted to being close to her. As scary as the experience might be at first, she wanted to know how it would feel to be entangled with him, as close as can be. When she could hear every little noise he makes and feel every twitch of his muscles. Dank farrik.

It was early afternoon when they arrived back at the hangar, which was still occupied – to no one’s surprise. »Oh, you’re back so early?« Peli commented their return. How long had they been gone? To Arana it had felt like hours, but then again, she didn’t have any means to tell the time apart from the position of the suns. »Sand’s a little scratchy, huh?« the mechanic added, arms crossed in front of her chest, grinning like she had triumphed. Did she honestly think they would go outside the city to fool around in the sand? Instead of entertaining the thought, Din distracted the woman with a question she had definitely not anticipated.

»Do you have some work for us?« That did the trick, the mechanic loosened her posture and gave Din a blank stare, blinking twice before she found the words to reply. »Usually I’m the one doing the work, I’m the service provider over here.« While she was right, the two wanted to kill some time, besides »you’re letting us sleep in your home. Is there anything we can do for you in return?« Arana clarified. The brunette motioned to the ominous tarp that covered some form of machinery, perhaps the chassis of a pod-racer. »What about this?«

Peli pulled the tarp from the skeleton of a Naboo N-1 starfighter that looked in a generally rough shape. Peli was pragmatic, and far from stupid. »If you just want to waste time until I leave for the festival you can tell me. However, I could use a few more hands on this. Looked for an alternative for the Crest after Mando contacted me.« Din was ever-observant and pointed towards the star-fighter. »That’s not a Crest.« »Damn right, because it’s better. Leaves that ARC-170 in the dust too, no offense. Faster, more agile and a lot prettier with a new paint job. Also… she’s pre-Imperial.«

Arana scanned over the dirty, partially flaked off yellow paint, letting her hand glide over the rough surface. Speaking of her star fighter, the mechanic had a question burning on the tip of her tongue. »Where have you even gotten that from? Last time we met you didn’t even have properly fitting clothes. And now you have a new haircut, a different name and a damn ship from the Galactic Republic, not to mention in quite good condition.« Well, how would Arana explain it? ‘I am force-sensitive and I can steal virtually anything my heart desires if it weren’t for my morals’? »Would you believe me that I just took it? I can be quite convincing if I want to.« The woman gave her a once-over and raised her lack of eyebrows. »I don’t doubt that after yesterday. But for a ship? And that’s fine for him?« Peli looked over to Din, a little shocked. »Were you present?!« Before the brunette was able to explain what she actually meant, which was far from the mechanic’s interpretation, Din, oblivious to everything, replied »I wasn’t, but I know she is very convincing when she wants to be.« Arana facepalmed. That was his revenge for what she had done to him at breakfast. Now the mechanic would forever think she had exchanged her body for a ship. Fantastic. To avoid the awkward silence making it even more embarrassing for his poor partner, Din interrupted. »You had promised a substitute.« Peli nodded violently. »I never said it was a Crest and believe me. She needs polishing but you will fall in love with her just like you did with your sweetheart. Give her a chance.« Sometimes the tin can was a little hard to convince, but then again, when had Peli ever failed him? »Fine,« he grumbled.

Arana wondered what she could even help with, given she had no training in fixing anything. She was glad if her ship could be fixed with unplugging and replugging cables because that was about the extent of her technical understanding of anything. Din still wasn’t all-too convinced that he would like the N-1, but the mechanic tried her hardest to sell the ship to the Mandalorian. »Do you even know how hard it is to come by pre-imperial parts? Everything was handmade. They’re incredibly rare and expensive. And because I like you, I can add some modifications to make her even better.« Peli was a saleswoman through and through, and for some reason she referred to the ship as a she. Was that a tactic? »And because she’s so old, she is not registered anywhere, just like Maia’s… Ah, kriff, Arana’s ARC.« Mando huffed. »Fine, let’s see if it even starts.« Peli was delighted, either sensing a sale in the future or she was genuinely just happy that Din was giving her a chance. »Perfect. Then let’s start, because I want to go to the festival later. We won’t finish today anyway, she’s missing parts I don’t have nor can I get them this short notice.« Peli clapped, making a mental plan of what they could fix with little equipment and without the missing parts. »Mando, you and BD climb under the ship, you’ll handle the big parts. Arana, you can help me.«

Surprisingly she found something to do fairly quickly. Being relatively slender compared to Din but still a lot taller than Peli came to her advantage, she could reach further into the hull than the mechanic could. Connecting cables or pulling them through the ship… or pull a skeleton out of the chassis. The brunette had to comment on that. »Looks like this hasn’t seen a mechanic in forever. Where have you even found all of the parts if they’re so hard to get by?« She didn’t have to be able to predict the future to know what Peli would reply and she wondered why she had even asked in the first place. »Jawas.« Of course it was the Jawas. With a shake of her head, Arana let out a defeated sigh. »I’m starting to think that they are the universal solution for any kind of inquiry on this planet.« »That sums it up. Tatooine is full of treasure and the Jawas make the best of it. I gave them a list, they bring the parts, I don’t ask where they got them from and pay them.«

Meanwhile Din was struggling with the small droid which was supposed to light his area of work, but the little guy was just too excited and would move around the light with every noise the women made up there.

Who knows if the Jawas scavenged from the ships that were in the hangars or the ports close by. Arana didn’t ask, of course, because why would she if the mechanic had no interest in knowing? Speaking of ‘things no one wanted to know’, the woman had another sprinkle of information to absolutely scar the brunette. »Had a fling with a Jawa once, very hairy and pure trouble,« Peli suddenly told her, making the brunette almost hurt herself when Din bumped his helmet into the ship from below, seemingly as startled by the confession as she was. Of course, the other woman also noticed and called out »Mando, you good down there?« »I’m fine… my tool slipped.« Perhaps Peli would buy that, but Arana definitely heard how shaky his voice was. If he was blushing underneath the helmet right now? »I wish you wouldn’t have told us that…« she scratched the back of her head, looking at Peli with a hint of confusion. Could Din please punch her in the face hard enough to make her forget? She laid down in the sand by the ship and rolled underneath it, landing somewhere next to Din, her feet pointing to the opposite end of the ship from his. They were head to head and she could grin at him for a short moment. After she had attached a cable to a plug underneath the hull down here, she gave the helmet a soft kiss. »Thank you for not being a Jawa,« she whispered. »You’re welcome, cyar’ika,« and once again – Din purred at her. After biting her lip she rolled back away from him.

Peli had the next task already prepped, handing over a hand full of small parts. »Here’s a few lights and button caps. Sit down in the cockpit, don’t worry, you can’t break through and if you do, you’ll just sit comfortably on Man–« She didn’t need to hear that sentence end. Arana grabbed the parts and relatively loudly replied to interrupt Peli »oookay, Cockpit, lamps, buttons, got it. No insinuations of me on his lap, please.« Oh shit. She sat in the cockpit and busied herself with delicately placing small lights into the sockets and clicking the transparent caps over top. Light, click, cap, click, done. She wasn’t sure she was outwardly blushing but her whole body felt hot despite being in the shade. While she was busy calming her mind, thoughtlessly adding lamps and caps to the numerous buttons in the cockpit, the other two talked about the upgrades. Din and Peli threw around technical terms of ship parts. Arana had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, and every time she heard Din’s voice, it was like she got goosebumps. Why could she suddenly not stop thinking about sitting in Din’s lap? How had Peli managed to say something that completely influenced her thoughts? Her mind wandered on and went to what she had felt in the morning, pressing into her abdomen while she laid on Din, practically naked besides their underwear. Stars, it was insane how much she wanted to feel more of him, but she couldn't right now; she wasn’t sure she could ever. So deep on thought, she hadn’t realized that Din had positioned himself next to her and she jumped when his voice pulled her back into reality. »You okay in here?«

Arana dropped some of the caps in response and cursed under her breath, picking the components off of the floor in the cockpit. »Yeah, I’m fine. Go and fix your turbo-venti-something. I’m doing what I’m capable of.« She waved him away in hopes he didn’t think she suddenly hated him. It wasn’t about him, more that she was simply a little uncomfortable with her own thoughts that were racing around one thing and one thing only. »Okay,« he mumbled and walked away, causing her to sigh. Her task was completed soon thereafter and Arana stayed for a while longer, sat on a toolbox to try to understand what they were talking about. Ever so often she would see the helmet look her way and every time it was like her blood ran cold. Could Din hear her thoughts? Stars, she hoped he didn’t. One thing was certain, she wouldn’t be able to quiet her mind when he was around. »I’ll go for a walk,« she announced while jumping off the toolbox, not even waiting for a reply from either. She left the hangar behind, wondering where to go.

Well aware that Din would be concerned if she wandered off too far, so she hopped up to a nearby roof and sat down on the warm sandstone. With all of the decorations in the city and the already crowded streets, she was nicely hidden from all of the guests that ran around the bazaar already and also from the ones that would go to the festival later. Her sudden sensitivity to the topic was still a concern, in a way. »Okay, relax,« she told herself, crossing her legs, taking deep, steady breaths to stabilize herself. »You sat on his lap for a few seconds to fix his helmet. Nothing more.« She wrapped her cloak around her to shield herself from most of the sunlight. Returning sunburnt was the last thing she needed right now. A few breaths later, she groaned in frustration. »But why can’t I stop thinking about it?« You know why. You felt him.

Her eyes shot open and she rolled them subsequently, letting out a frustrated sigh and falling backwards onto her back. Flinging her body with a bit too much gusto, hitting the back of her head on the sandstone underneath her. »Ow! Fark.« The fingers that touched her scalp to check for an injury were free of blood, thank the Force. Hurting herself the minute she was unattended would've been so typical for her. Just like it had happened on Nevarro.

Unsure of what else she could do, Arana just laid there, covered by her cloak and hood, listening to the distant sounds of civilization to somehow free her mind, to detach from the topic all together. Din was probably similarly awkward about this, his body had betrayed him in a way. Still, the lap thing would plague her mind if she didn’t talk to him about it. She did feel bad, guilty even. They had somewhat talked about it already, but because of his hostility back then, she didn’t mention the extent of their contact. The longer it took to confess, the worse it got. To be completely honest, she had repressed it for a while.

For a while she just laid there, basking in the sun like a lizard, before she made it back to the hangar. In fact, the distant sound of music had been her sign to leave. How long it had been since she left? She wasn't sure. Arana entered the hangar to find it empty. Neither did she hear Peli nor did she see Din. Even up in the apartment, it was awfully silent. »Cyare?« she called up there. No response. Taking the opportunity, she took a quick shower after she had been in the sun practically all day, her clothes also getting the quickest wash. Afterwards she sat down by the table in the kitchen, waiting for someone to come. Din would realize she would come back here, right? The suns were slowly descending and with the relatively small windows up in here, she had to have the light switched on, waiting for some sign of her partner returning.

The door downstairs swished when it opened and a familiar voice called up the stairs. »Arana? Are you up there?« »I’m here,« she replied and got up from the table to come his way. Unbeknownst to her, Din practically ran up the stairs when he heard her voice, almost crashing into her when she stood right behind the landing of said staircase. »How long have you been looking for me?« Why did she ask? His behavior was a little erratic. And was that an alcohol bottle on his arm? »A while,« he replied and suddenly she felt a little more guilty for leaving, the exasperation very audible in his voice. »I was worried because you left so suddenly. I wasn’t sure if you had left the city. The desert is dangerous, even if I know you can defend yourself.« Guilt filled her face and Arana’s voice was quiet when she explained herself. »I wasn’t far from the hangar. I just needed a moment to myself.«

The alcohol bottle garnered her attention shortly and Din followed her gaze. Without having to ask, he explained »Peli gave it to me when I ran into her on the way back. Let me take the helmet off.« He hastily put the bottle on the table with a relatively loud thud, his helmet following directly after. He ran a hand through his hair and it was easy to see he had been a little sweaty underneath the helmet. »Hey, what’s wrong?«

With careful steps Arana approached him, extending one hand to cup his cheek. »I’ve never seen you so nervous.« Was it because of her? What had he thought about? That she had left and gotten killed? »I’m sorry, I was a little scared something had happened,« he mumbled, leaning into her hand ever so softly when she started caressing his skin with her thumb. His forehead wrinkled and suddenly she had the feeling she was looking into the eyes of a puppy. In a way it felt new that someone was so worried about her. It hat been so long since she had mattered to someone.

There was a faint smile on her lips, looking into the dark brown eyes that begged for her attention. »You’re so cute when you’re worried, cyare.« One of his hands also cupped her face now. Unsure when he had taken the glove off, but she felt his warm fingers on her skin. »Have you had enough time on your own? Are you okay now?« Din hesitantly asked, »I was scared I did something to scare you off.« A soft nod came from her, not daring to move too much to not detach from his hand. »I’m fine, I promise, you didn’t do anything. I was just a little overwhelmed by Peli’s antics today.«

Despite her intense meditation and a shower to gound herself, the brunette felt her heart rate quicken.

Perhaps she should just explain herself rather than leaving him hanging. There was nothing to be ashamed of with him. »I sometimes feel when you look at me underneath the helmet and it was just unfortunate that Peli made me think of something that is kind of an uncomfortable topic for me.« She tried to explain, but how would she? Din’s brows furrowed. »You can tell me next time then I will give you your space.« »I will.« Din was about to lean in, probably for a kiss, when she interrupted him »Can we talk about something? It’s … I don’t know, it’s a little awkward. Or do we want to get drunk first?« There was a little regret that she had interrupted him from stealing a kiss. »We can. Your choice if you want to drink first.« And despite the seemingly certain reply, it seemed like he was blushing a little? What was he thinking about? Oh no. »She reminded me of something when she mentioned your lap. Back on Nevarro, when you fell unconscious and I had to save your helmet from falling. I had to sit on your lap for a moment and I feel bad about it.« »Why? Doesn’t sound like you were doing anything bad. It was necessary.« Well she for sure wouldn’t have done anything to him. Not that she could have. »I was so scared you would wake up right in that moment and … you were unconscious, it doesn’t feel right to come this close to someone when they’re not there, you know?«

»And that’s what made you so uncomfortable? I can’t say how I would have reacted back then, but now it’s not a big deal for me. You don’t have to feel guilty.« Din took it better than she had anticipated, maybe this was because he was big and generally less in danger when unconscious. Also, Arana plagued more than one thought about this. »I feel guilty because I kind of enjoyed it… not that you were unconscious, but the sensation…« she mumbled and tried to somewhat hide in his hand. »Just like I enjoyed what happened in the morning today.« She saw his expression derail for a split second and his skin turned pink just as hers probably was. »Uh… if I have to be honest that was kind of embarrassing. I can’t control it.« »I was only embarrassed because Peli was so close… okay no… that might be a lie, I was awkward about it too. It is kind of a compliment, I guess.« She looked at him, caressed his cheek, and so did he. Finally she leaned in more, gave one of his overheated cheeks a kiss and leaned her similarly warm face against his. »Can we get drunk now?«

Din sighed in relief, wrapping one arm around her to give her a halfway hug. Naturally, Arana leaned in a little. That wasn’t too bad. Was their communication improving? »Do you want to?« She nodded and nozzled her face more into him. It would calm her nerves a little. To be fair, having talked about it had already helped tremendously. Still, Din had something to add. »I don’t know what Peli gave me, to be honest, so I don’t know what will happen if we drink. I doubt it’s anything dangerous, though.« Alcohol was dangerous enough, Arana thought. »If it’s the same stuff as yesterday, you’ll have to live with me being a little touchy,« she whispered and placed a few kisses along his jaw, causing Din to close his eyes for a moment. She gave him a final kiss where his jaw went into his neck, whispering »And I doubt you’d have a problem with that.« She pulled back and walked over to the cabinets, hoping to find glasses or cups to drink from. To make it a little more interesting, she had something in mind. »Maybe you can tell me something about you. Doesn’t have to be your deepest secrets. Just something you assume might be interesting to me, to get to know you a little better. Or you tell me what you worked on at the N-1, but that conversation will be awfully one-sided while I empty the bottle by myself.«

»There’s not much to tell you about me,« Din mused and opened the bottle. They sat down on opposite sides of the table, Arana placing two cups by the bottle so Din could fill them with the amber liquid. He gave her a warm smile and nodded her way when he raised the cup, Arana mimicking the gesture. It wasn't her first alcohol, even yesterday hadn't been. Probably the nicest tasting one, though. This one wasn’t shared between fugitives in a dark cargo container. They both took a sip, the alcohol numbing her tongue instantly. Instead of the slightly acidic note she had tasted yesterday, a flowery sweetness came through. Probably as strong as the one last night, which meant she would for sure turn cuddly by the end of this.

»I’ve told you about being a foundling myself. I come from a small planet called Aq Vetina. We were attacked by droids and my parents hid me in a basement. I heard them die. The Death Watch arrived shortly after and they took me to Concordia to become one of them.« »Do you remember your parents? And how your life used to be before the attack?«

Arana had guessed Din was traumatized from that. She had seen the droid and heard the blaster fire when they had somehow connected while healing on Nevarro. »In fractions. Probably repressed a lot. We were simple people, farmers. I ended up getting the Mandalorian training and when I was old enough, I looked for work.« She was a little jealous. but then again, she probably repressed most of the memories of her family, they weren’t forgotten, right? Besides, she had been significantly younger when she had been taken. »At least you remember something. Apart from the memory that came to me on Glavis, I don’t remember my family. I do remember when I first set foot into the facility, though.« She took a sip and sighed. She didn't want to make this about her straight away, but Din encouraged her to keep going. »Your turn, mesh’la.«

Why not tell him about her first day?

»Raymond took my hand and walked me through endless hallways. I was four – I think. He promised they were looking for my parents and that they’d reunite us soon enough. When I was put into the small room and Raymond had to leave, I think it settled in that I was doomed. If we can believe what Gideon said, they had killed my father at this point.« Another father dead. Not sure Arana even remembered much of her father. »It’s what the file said. I read it when I had the time,« Din nodded. It felt a little intrusive, there might have been a lot of unpleasant things on her file. »What else did you read?« Obviously not enough to scare him off. »It was just your basic info. Status and where they had found you. I didn’t feel it would be fair to snoop around. After you had left on Tatooine, I was concerned they had caught you.« She filled another round in. »I’d rather be dead than a captive. I don’t want to imagine what they would do to me now that I’m older and stronger.« A heavy sigh came from her, lifting her cup once more. It wasn’t good to drink and remind herself of what could have been. She was free, and she was with Din. »One good thing the facility granted was the silence. My room was like an isolation chamber in a way and it helped me meditate in absolute quiet, that’s also why I prefer to be on my own at times. One day in my teens something clicked and suddenly there was someone I could see. Witness his life through my eyes in a way. Raymond was so fascinated with what I could do, because I was the only one who could do something like that.« She took another sip.

»15 years ago I spent an entire week in meditation, finding out what we could about this stranger. I’m not sure if the other scientists ever heard of it – if Raymond talked to them about it or kept it to himself. My ability was peculiar, because there was only one person I could connect to. One man in the whole galaxy whose presence I could find anywhere.« A traitorous grin crept up to her lips when she saw that Din picked up on what she was hinting at already. »And you can imagine, he was not amused to feel invisible eyes watching him all the time. Especially when he was supposed to keep his helmet on unless he was alone.« Now Din for sure knew she was talking about him. »You could see me?« She motioned into the air around him. »Not as clearly as I can right now, of course. You were surrounded by your emotions like a fog most times. Hostility, but I understand why.« There was a nod from him, albeit subtle. »I remember I used to feel watched for a while when I was younger. It was driving me insane.« »Sorry.« They both chuckled. Din looked into his cup, taking a deeper breath. »So you talked with Raymond about me?« Arana nodded. »He was a scientist, of course we talked about you. Besides, I considered him my father, in a way, he was the only one I trusted enough. I could practically read your mind despite being parsecs away. Mostly we wanted to find out what it meant. About you as a person we didn’t because I never really dug that deep, it had always been more of a ‘why’ and not a ‘with whom’.«

»So you don’t know why it’s me?« She shook her head and another grin came up to her lips. It wasn’t that easy, at least not before she had met her master. »I only ever found out after I had run into you. Luke has so much knowledge about the Force.« Din took a bigger sip with the mention of Skywalker. Arana wasn’t sure what it was about him that made Din dislike him, although she had a suspicion. »The Force surrounds us all, you and me, this planet, the whole galaxy. It’s here, it connects everything. In a way it is cosmic energy, but not quite. And while most of us are affected by it in a way, some can feel it, and even fewer can use it. Like I can. You’ve probably heard that there is a light and a dark side.« Arana took a sip and hummed, unsure how to continue, or more specifically, how she could get to the point she wanted to make. »Maybe a different comparison works better, sorry. Think of the force as a magnet. Magnets always have two poles. They don’t exist with just one. And similar to a magnet, people can be opposite poles in the Force. It’s called a dyad, a really strong connection between two individuals. Luke is convinced that you’re my opposite pole and I agree. I’ve never felt such a strong connection with anyone and it would explain why I can do what I did back then.«

Din leaned back in his seat, contemplating his reply, perhaps. Arana helped herself to the third cup of alcohol, raising it to her lips and taking a sip, before a sly grin appeared on his lips. »I love being connected to you, cyar’ika.« He took a slow, calculated sip. Of course she picked up on the flirty undertone and thanks to the alcohol, she would reciprocate. The brunette cocked an eyebrow and asked »really?« If Peli would’ve been here, the mechanic would have probably had a heart attack just now, or would’ve excused herself because she knew what was about to happen to the two lovebirds that were now notably tipsy. Arana put her cup down and sat down on the table, turning on her butt to sit right in front of Din, one of her boots rested on his chair, the other dangling off the table. Din eyed her head to toe before he replied »really.« His eyes moved slowly, as if he was undressing her with just his gaze. »Did you say that on purpose or was that an accident?« Her head tilted sideways. Part of her thought it might have slipped, but then again – he had thought too long for it to be accidental. »I mean it. Is it kind of hot in here?« It was getting a little warm, she had to admit. »I love it too, handsome.« Her hands wandered upwards towards her neck. She opened her cloak, the heavy fabric falling onto the table. »We’re on Tatooine, of course it’s warm here.« Her hands sank back down, one stabilizing her on the table, the other reaching behind her, pulling her cup towards her with the Force. »You could take some clothes off, mesh’la,« she purred with a wink. If he was in a flirty mood she would join. After all – why not? She was feeling a little more courageous right now, thanks to the alcohol she had in her hand. »Do you need help?« she asked and took yet another sip.

Din leaned forward to place his cup on the table, green eyes watching his every move while he did. »You want me to undress?« he clarified. In response she nodded, put away her cup, pulling him in closer by the belt until he stood in between her legs. Her fingers snuck underneath the chest armor to detach the cape which subsequently fell to the floor. His belt was next, which she removed a little more carefully, placing it on the table beside her. While theres wasn’t much to feel yet, his body heat was very obvious, even through the heavy fabric. While she was busy helping him, Din was fumbling with his bracers. The mechanism to close these was a little too complex for her to open, she guessed, and it would go a lot quicker if they worked on what they could simultaneously. There was a grin on her lips when she turned her head to look up to him. »I think we can agree that the alcohol was a brilliant idea.«

Deep down Arana hoped they would be undisturbed for the night. If Peli had given the bottle to Din, maybe she knew to stay away? She had assumed they had done it last night as well, so she might grant them another night of privacy. Din chuckled. »You mean because it made me take my clothes off? Maybe I would’ve done it regardless, had you asked.« He watched her take the chest plate off, taking a deep breath when it was on the table. »So much better.« He rested one hand on her shoulder, letting it wander over to her neck before he leaned in to finally give her a kiss. »I’ve been wanting to do that all day,« he mused. Upon his retreat, she protested. He drove her insane. Her pulse picked up as soon as she had felt his lips on hers. With a little more force than she had wanted to, she pulled him back into the kiss and he wrapped both arms around her waist. Letting the instinct take over, Arana bit his lip again, softly. With a little groan, Din parted his lips and they kissed more passionately than they had done before. It felt incredible, Aranas heart jumping in her chest, especially after she had heard the sweet noise coming from him. He tasted like the alcohol and it was addicting, intoxicating to kiss him like this. Seemingly into it himself Din leaned in further and practically pushed her further back, molding to his body with both of her legs wrapped around his hips. One of his hands rested on the table, the other at her waist while her hand that wasn’t holding her upright held his head in place. If they had considered it hot before, now it was practically scorching in Peli’s kitchen. Reluctantly Din stopped the kissing to whisper ‘cyar’ika’ out of breath.

As if keeping her composure hadn’t been hard enough, Arana felt that damn tension in her body again, pulling on her legs to pull him in closer. The desperate yearning was turning into a tightness in her core. His eyes were so dark and he was visibly out of breath, her body pressed against his. »Hey,« she replied with a smile. Despite wanting to continue making out, her partner was a little concerned for her. »I don’t know where this will lead to. You make me feel things I’ve not felt in a long time and I don’t want to overwhelm you.« She looked down to her legs that had his hips in a tight grip. »I have a suspicion where this will lead,« she said, hoping to sound nonchalant about it, however failing, sounding insecure it its place. Of course he picked up on it. »If I’m being too much, please tell me.« It sobered her up a little, the realization that Din was so much into this that he wanted to take things further, just like she had fantasized about. Suddenly it felt so intimidating. »I don’t have any experience with… this. And to be completely honest I’m a little scared.« Scared about so many things. »We don’t have to continue if you’re scared.« He leaned back just a little, giving her more space. He let her choose, but why was it so hard? »I don’t want to stop. I don’t want you to stop because it feels so good. I know you would never hurt me but I fear that things would be different between us afterwards.«

»Why do you think anything would change?« »What if one of us doesn’t like it?« She assumed Din had had sex before and she was the one who would mess up. »We have two options: We never do it again or we try until we both enjoy it.« That must’ve blown a fuse in her brain. Her body tensed once more and she was pretty sure she involuntarily pulled his hips in further. He tried his best to make her feel comfortable with the situation and she was endlessly grateful for it. »The first time is rarely perfect. I’m leaving it up to you, we can go to bed and just cuddle, that’s fine for me. Neither outcome will change any of my feelings for you, I promise,« he reassured her.

What do you have to lose, besides a stupid title that doesn’t have any meaning? Seriously, look at him. You love Din. You see how gentle he is with you. Would it be so bad to just find out what it feels like? He’s into you, you felt it. Once you leave this planet, you don’t know when you’ll have the next opportunity for it.

After her internal pep talk, Arana softly shook her head. »No, I want this… please.« Similarly softly as her headshake, Din nodded and leaned his forehead against hers. »There’s nothing that could ever change how much I love you.« How could she be scared if that’s how he handled the situation? Unsure what to say, Arana whispered »okay.« He gave her a softer kiss, squeezing her waist with his hand gently. There was just one issue. »The mattress might be a little small for us, though.« Arana looked behind her body. In theory, they could do it on the table. It wasn’t like her body wasn’t already in the position for it, so was his, besides the fact they were still dressed. »That depends who is on top, I guess. Also –« She grinned, a devious plan forming in her mind. »There is an unoccupied bed a few meters behind you.« Yes, she was talking about Peli’s bed. Din followed her gaze towards the little curtain that led to the mechanic’s bedroom. »Are you sure about that?« he faced her, looking back and then back into her eyes. »Realistically it’s the best spot to lose your –« She placed her hand on his mouth to shut him up. Thankfully, he didn’t talk further, likely a little confused by the gesture. »Please, don’t make this a bigger thing than it is.«

Arana took her hand back, hoping he understood what she meant. Din seemingly accepted her plea and refocused his attention. »Alright. Do you need help taking your clothes off?« Playfully offended, she replied »I’m not that drunk, but you can undress me if you want to. Is it okay if I continue with your clothes?« Din chuckled and gave her kiss, leaning into her once more before he had to retreat so they could undress. »Of course, mesh’la.« He opened her belt, placing it beside his while she opened his flak vest.

After some time that consisted of various clothes and boots falling to the floor, kisses and the occasional sigh of enjoyment, both were bare-chested and enveloped in another kiss, Din leaned over her again, hot skin against hot skin. His hand was practically buried into her hip, holding on for dear life.

Once more she felt the hardness pressed into her. Din was grinding into her, voluntarily or not, her hand wandering between their bodies to open his pants and feel him up. Her partner suddenly made a noise that startled her and she pulled back. »Sorry, was that too much?« She looked at him with furrowed brows, but he shook his head. His pupils were dilated like he was on something, making Arana wonder if she herself looked so hungry. »No, it’s okay,« he reassured her. »Wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.« To further make it clear that Arana didn’t do anything wrong, he lifted his hand to her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. »We should change location, cyar’ika.« His voice was so deep and gravelly, sending shivers through her body. Another kiss landed on her cheek. »Alright.« She took the hand he offered and they walked over to the bedroom, switching the light off in the kitchen. They would take care of the chaos later.

They entered Peli’s bedroom and to Arana’s surprise, there was a larger window that allowed moonlight to enter the room. Din’s pants were practically falling off of him while walking. She sat down on the bed and looked at him against the moonlight. »You’re beautiful,« she mumbled, seeing how the soft light accentuated his muscles. He pulled his pants down, wasting no time to kneel beside her and letting his hand explore her body again. She almost anticipated him touching her chest, but his fingers avoided her breasts. »You think so?« he purred, his hand traveled downwards while he buried his face in the crook of her neck again. Her skin was still sore from yesterday. »That was a loud thought but yes… you’re very mesh’la.« After he had stopped his attack on her neck, he smiled at her, her hand cupping his cheek. »You look good in the moon light.« »If it means you’ll speak Mando’a you can say anything you want.« »You’ll have to teach me more then, otherwise I’ll call you a pretty idiot.« He chuckled, turning his head to place a kiss into the palm of her hand. »There’s too much fabric on you still,« he grumbled, sounding a little frustrated. Taking the hint, the brunette got up and stood before him, placing both hands on his shoulders once he had turned towards her fully. »I think you have to help me, cyar’ika,« she purred his way.

Just like he was asked to, he pulled her pants down, halting when she suddenly flinched, his hand had accidentally grazed her scar »Sorry,« he apologized. »I forgot about it.« »It’s okay.«

She stepped out of the pants when they were all the way down. The sight before her was one to behold. Din, in just his underwear, in the soft moon light, eyes full of love. »Come to me,« he purred, pulling her towards him by her hips. Instead of sitting next to him, Arana decided to be a little more upfront and sat on his lap. Without much hesitation he wrapped both arms around her, pulling her as close as he could without hurting her. Now a little taller than him, she placed a kiss onto his forehead. »I love you.« »I love you too.« Her neck wasn’t safe from more kisses, but she didn’t complain about it. Despite the soreness of her skin, it felt good to have him give her love bites and a million kisses. Especially so if he made the noises he did, further confirming that he was very into her. »Stars… you’re by far the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.« Din practically moaned against her skin, making her shiver. While she didn’t do much in her current position, it felt incredible to be so close to him. »I’m all yours,« is all she could muster up, her hip dragging along his thighs, seeking some kind of friction. »You’re driving me insane.«

»Makes two of us.« Without a warning, hands grabbed her butt, pulling her as close as can be and tilting his hips ever so slightly that she could feel what she was doing to his helpless body. It just so happened to grant her the sensation she had longed for, causing her to let out a proper moan for the first time in his presence. She dragged him into a kiss to shut herself up, Din himself choking a moan while his hands guided her to keep going with the motions of her hips. It felt incredible. He felt incredible. Their silent moans only driving one another more insane. When she couldn’t take it any more, Arana pulled back to catch her breath, face against his forehead, panting. Her body was tingling, screaming for release. »I can’t take this any more. I need you.« There wasn’t much Din said, mainly because he was just as out of breath as she was. »Alright.« To proceed on the brunette left his lap to lie down on the bed, and as soon as she saw Din pulling his underwear down, her thoughts started racing a little. She was overly horny but still a little scared. Seeing him naked didn’t help ease that fear in the slightest. Her partner seemed to pick up on her nervousness and laid beside her, cupping her face in one hand. »You’re tense. Are you sure you want this?« It was commendable how careful he was to make sure she wouldn’t regret this. There was no going back, she was so worked up, she needed him. »Yes, I’m just nervous.« His hand started traveling down her body, pulling down the last bit of fabric she had on. She lifted her hip to help a little. »You don’t have to be. I’ll be gentle.« Another reassuring kiss occurred, then Din hoisted himself over her. At first she feared he would go right at it when his knee nudged her legs apart, but it was just to make space for his body, allowing him to kneel there.

His lips traveled down her torso, in between her breasts, further descending. His beard tickled and every now and then he even nibbled on her skin. It was hard to not move, her body giving in every now and then, but there was no protest, so Din continued on. When he reached the scar on her groin, he gave it a very soft kiss, Arana flinching slightly. »Does it still hurt?« Din looked up to her, concern painted on his face. »No, it feels like a tingle. Like my nerves are –« while she was explaining, she felt his tongue lick over her scar, her leg twitching and her knee subsequently hitting his ribs. »Sorry,« he mumbled and kissed it again, this time without getting kicked. »I’m glad I trusted you enough to take you back to my ship.« »Me too.« His kisses wandered on, along the leg that had just made contact with his side. Arana had her eyes closed, lost in the sensation until she felt his kisses wander up her leg again, coming closer to where she wanted to feel him, but not like this. »What are you doing?« Her torso shot up, leaned onto her arms to look at him. His eyes were dark, practically black when he looked up to her. It was a sight to behold. »I want to taste you.« There was silence in the room, gears turning in her head. »No,« she quietly said. »No?« Din asked. There he was, comfortably lying in between her legs, his head close to her core. It felt cruel to tell him no, especially when he looked so hungry, but it didn’t feel right. »Next time?« she offered, not sure she would ever be ready for that. »Whenever you want to,« he said and placed a kiss up on her mound, far enough away that she didn’t feel the need to pull away. To be fair, the view she had just shortly, had been more than inviting, especially with his dark, pleading eyes. Din crawled back up, but halted just below her face. He placed a few kisses on her ribcage, then slowly moved over to one of her breasts. »This okay?« »Mh-hm,« she gave permission, feeling his lips envelop one of her nipples. It was hard to say what exactly it felt like, but the tension in her body left bit by bit and the intense pulling sensation inside of her returned. There was another moan when he pinched her other nipple, groaning a little while his face was practically buried in her breast. She actually grew a little impatient, softly urging him on. The pulling was turning from uncomfortable to painful, her body demanding release. »Din, please,« she whined. Her partner huffed a little when he laid down next to her again, probably just from the impact and not an actual response. His hand finally wandered back to her crotch. »Whatever you want, cyar'ika.« »Will it hurt?« She turned to look at him, and all she found in his face was pure affection. His hand lifted and angled one of her legs, caressing her skin while he was at it. »If I’m doing my job correctly it shouldn’t. If it does, tell me.«

She felt his finger hit a wet spot, her slick spreading where he touched her. »Sorry,« she mumbled and hid her face in the crook of his neck, »I’m a little too excited.« Din’s face nuzzled into her hair, softly chuckling. »I don’t mind,« he assured her, kissing her hair. »You’ve touched yourself before, right?« »I have, but I’ve never been this – wet.« »I take that as a compliment.« She chuckled against his neck, giving him a kiss right where she could feel his pulse. »Di’kut.« She felt his finger glide over her clit, her hip bucking in response. It was a little torturous that Din spoke to her, but he wanted to take his time, and make it right. »I take it you’ve used your fingers?« »Yes.« His finger slid down to her entrance. »How many?« »Two at most.« »I’ll start with one.«

»Wait,« Arana begged him. Din pulled his hand back, placing it on her thigh, waiting for her face to surface again. She was close enough to his face to feel his breath on her skin. »Can I touch you too?« She actually sounded a little shy, but se wanted to feel him too, and make this a little more comfortable for him. »Of course.« »Show me how.« With the hand that had just been exploring her, he took hold of the hand that was closer to him, guiding it towards his erection. He closed her fingers around him, her hand enclosed in his fist for a moment. She mimicked the movement he was guiding her to do, along his shaft with a little pressure. There was a soft moan from him and he bit his lip. That alone made it hard for her to focus.

He was so hard in her hand and she was a little concerned how he would feel, as he was definitely bigger than two fingers of hers. And while she was at it, he slipped one finger into her. She inhaled sharply, somehow expecting it to hurt, but it didn’t. In fact, she could barely feel him inside of her. »Okay so far?« he checked in with her. »Yes.« »Can you even feel anything?« Arana exhaled, not really a huff and not really laughter, but amused none the less. »Not… really.« That’s when his thumb started gently rubbing her clit again, her face falling into the crook of his neck to moan. She changed the hand that was touching him, rotating her body towards his so she could be a little more comfortable, and he could be too. She tried her hardest to keep moving her hand but every now and then she would forget what she was doing, her mind blanking when he made her feel all the things she felt. Din’s soft groans were driving her mad if his fingers weren’t enough. She just assumed she was doing something right when he joined in on her moans. Her hip movements became a little more erratic and she had to choke a few moans on his shoulder.

It felt like he changed the finger and before she could find out why, he slipped both of the now coated fingers into her. Another loud moan escaped her, Din nuzzling his head against hers. »“It’s okay, I got you,« he whispered, his fingers dragging in and out of her. Now she definitely lacked the focus to keep pleasuring him as well, and he didn’t seem to mind too much. To be fair, she wasn’t sure how far he wanted to take the foreplay when the actual sex hadn’t even happened yet. She kissed him, making out with him to somehow make all of the obscene noises stop. The soft groans and an occasional smack of lips was definitely more bearable than what was going on around Din’s fingers.

Something changed. Whether it was because he picked up the pace or what, her body felt all tingly and she couldn’t stop panting against his skin. As much as she wanted to touch him, she couldn't. It was almost too much and opposed to her, Din knew what was going on with her. »Let go. Come for me, cyar’ika.«

And she did, a whiny moan came over her lips as she felt her body tense around his fingers and Din was so graceful to let go of her to wait until she was back in a clearer state of mind. She caught her breath slowly, nuzzling her face into his neck. »Did it feel good?« Arana couldn’t stop herself, she laughed. »What do you think?« They shared a kiss, her wrapping both arms around him. »Why did you make me come beforehand?« »I wanted to make sure you weren’t nervous any more and that you were taken care of before me.« He gave her another kiss. »I love you.« »Love you too, cyar’ika.«

To proceed further, Din gently pushed her on her back, kneeling in between her legs. Arana gave in easily, a lot more relaxed now that he had taken care of her. He leaned over her, nudging himself right by her entrance. There was another look they exchanged, a deep gaze full of love. They had exchanged a lot of ‘I love you’s already, but neither really minded to hear it over and over again. The brunette just nodded, giving him permission to give her all of him. Din reveled in the feeling, eyes closed, lips parted and a soft moan escaping him while he slid inside of her. As if she needed any more reason to absolutely fall for this man. Din was gorgeous in the moonlight, his face painted with an expression of pure bliss, not to mention the feeling of him stretching her out until he had fully settled inside of her. He came closer to her, resting his forehead against hers, arms burying underneath her and executed the first thrust, a slow drag to cherish every second of it. It felt like he was hugging her, somehow closer now that their bodies were connected. »Don’t stop,« she whispered in a soft pant, so dangerously close to his lips. »Won’t,« he breathed, picking up the pace. Her eyes fell shut, fingers dove into his dark curls, holding him in place while his hips snapped against her body. Their moans fell into rhythm as did his thrusts, Arana not doing much besides kissing him on occasion and her hands caressing over his skin, feeling his muscles tighten with every move.

It was incredible, the way their bodies felt like they were made for each other. Din didn’t need any commands, it was is if he knew what buttons to press to make this as enjoyable for her as possible.

Not sure how long he had been going at it, but she felt the same tightness in her body again, her muscles now very clearly tensing around him further and further. All she could muster up to alert her partner of her impending second orgasm were the same whiny moans she had let out earlier. Driven by the nonverbal signal, his movements became sloppier, harder, almost erratic. His arms came up from underneath her, holding him upright to have more room to thrust into her. With a louder moan, Din finished, the sensation of his muscles tensing driving his partner over the edge again. She felt a little bad about moaning so loudly, but she couldn't help it in the moment. Din didn’t care too much about her being loud. After a few breaths he lifted off of her, nuzzled into her side and pulled the cover over them. She cuddled into him, one arm around his torso as well. Despite the obvious noises she had just made, Din wanted to make sure she was fine. »You okay?«

There was a pause so Arana could collect her thoughts. She and Din had just had sex. Her virginity was gone, and all she could feel was relief and so much love for her idiot. »Yeah, more than okay. Thank you.« Her index painted little hearts onto his skin. He attempted a shrug. »Thank you for trusting me.« She looked up, giving him a soft kiss. »You’ve saved my life when I was a stranger, of course I trust you.« »That’s fair.« The brunette rotated to lie on her back, her partner coming with her and now resting on her chest. Exhaustion took over quickly, even more so when engulfed into a hug in a relatively comfortable bed. Seemed no one would leave this bedroom before sunrise.

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